Method of electric lighting.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

D. MOP. MOORE. METHOD OF ELECTRIC LIGHTING. APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1903. RENEWED SEPT. 27, 1906.

WIT/M8858:

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DANIEL MoFARIIAN MOORE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO. MOORE ELECTRICAL 00.. OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 91*" NEW YortK;

,W IE'I'HOD OF ELECTRIC LIGHTING" Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907,

Application filed April 18, 1903. BenewedfleptemberZ'i, 1906. Serial No. 386,497.

over metal conductors and converted into light at isolated or distinct spots, whereas in my improved system the energy may be considered as converted into light and the luminous agent distributed or conducted over a space or area which is to be lighted.

My improved method of distributing electric energy and illuminatin areas or spaces thereby consists, substant'ia ly', in converting the electric energy into a luminous column of gas or vapor'and'distributing or conducting said luminous column over, around, or through the spaces to be illuminated, in contradistinction to distributing the current and at local points convertin it into areas of light more or less localize In carrying out my invention I may employ any conducting gas or vapor and one of any desn'ed degree of attenuation, depending upon the nature or character of the gas or vapor and the nature or character of the electric energy used in rendering the same luminous. To confine and permit the distribution or conduction of the luminous column in the desired directionsior. over the desired 10- calities or spaces, the said gas is confined in a suitable tube of glass 'or other proper translucentnon-conductor, which in the case of glass and in the ordinary practice of my invention would be built up in lengths of suit able size convenient for handling and joined end to end by proper joints adapted to prevent the escape of the attenuated gas or vapor or the entrance of the atmosphere and providedwith terminals at roper oints on its length or with means or' app ying the electric energy to the gaseous contents, so as to render the same luminous. -As well understood in the art, said rneans may consist of either an external conducting-body Wrapping or surrounding the ortion of tube where the energy .is applie or may consist of internal conductors connected with the source of energy through a wire or conductor sealed into the tube.

Figure 1 illustrates my invention diagrammatically and as applied to the lighting of an arbitrarily-selected area indicated by the parallelogram 1. Fig. 2 illustrates diagrammatically a modification 'in the manner of practicing my invention.

As before stated, the usual ractice in electric lighting has been hereto ore to run metallic conductors in any desired manner over, around, or throu h the area or space indicated by the para ilelogram 1 and to take 011' electric energy from the same at a number of spots or points and convert it into light by means of individual lamps or lighting devices affording spots or points of comparativel intense illumination, the number of suc lamps or lights depending upon their owerand the-degree of illuminatlon desire In' my improved method, as illustrated in F i 1, the electric energy is employed to pro uce a luminous column of light-glving gas and,

said column of gas is conducted around or through the space to be lighted, the electric wires or conductors supplying the energy instead of being distributed through the same as heretofore being excluded.

In the drawings, 4indicates a tube of glass,

or other translucent material properly sealed and distributed or disposed over, around, or through the area to be illuminated and having its gaseous contents rendered luminous by the application of electric energy derived from any suitable source typified by wires or conductors a a, from which the energy is applied, prererably at the ends of the continuous tube, and conducted around through the gaseous contents of the same and over, through, and around the areas to be lighted as luminous electric energy. Inasmuch as the manner of applying the energy to the gaseous contents forms no particular part of my invention I have merely shown in this diagram the C011, nection of the conductors a a in a skeleton wayto the end of the tube. The manner of mounting or supporting the tube is also omitted from the drawing as this forms no particular part of my invention and may be varied according to requirements orchoice.

So, also, the direction in which the tube 4 is conducted or disposed over or in relation to the s ace or area to be illuminated'may be varie as choice may dictate. It is shown es as disposed near the confines of the arbitrarily-selected area shown on the drawings, although it might obviously runin part or whole across or longitudinally of said area.

It is obvious that it is not necessary that the whole length of tubing containing the luminous column of gas should be fed or supplied from one pointor one source of energy, ut that said tube might be .operated and have its column of gas rendered luminous in sections in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, where the two sections of tube 4 4 are shown as supplied from two sources a a, roperly joine thereto so as to form practical y a continuons electric circuit embracing the gaseous columns of the two sections of tubes 4 4 in series with one another.

a is obvious that the method :a not limited to the employment of a single tube supplied from the same source of energy a a, but that a number of tubes might be run out in multile from said source and dis osed' or -conucted over the arbitrarily-Se ected-area to be illuminated in any desired direction or manner.

My improved method of electric lighting presents the following advantages: First, it is possible to dispense with or diminish the use of distributing wiring through the building or room thereof, as Well as with the use of armored iping or conduit, junctiomboxs and mol ings, flexible cords, sockets, and other a pliances now used for incandescent houseighting; second, when hi h otentials are used for rendering the distributed gas-column luminous it becomes possible to more'completely localize and rotect such high otential; third, my met 0d presents a radlcal and improved advantage in that the light is much more thoroughly di'strib- 5 uted and diflused than is possible with those systems where the given area to be illuminated is provided with a number of distinct lighting devices each furnishing a oint or spot of light and each independent y oper- 5o ated or furnished with energy from a conducting wire or wires.

It is to be understood that in the foregoing specification and in the following claims the term gas is employed in its broadest sense 5 5 and is therefore to be hnderstood as including any vapor.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The herein-described method of con verting electric energy into light and distributing the same, which consists in passing the electric energy through a conducting column of gas adapted to be rendered luminous thereby, and frolonging or extending said column aroun be lighted.

2. The herein-described method of converting electric energy and producing light thereby, consisting in assing the energy through an elongated c0 umn or columns of as in which the energy is converted into ight and distributing or conductin the luminous columns around or throng the space to be illuminated.

3. The herein-described method of converting electric energy into light and distributing the same, consisting in converting said energy into a luminous column or columns of gas or vapor and distributing or conducting the column over or around the space to be illuminated.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 13th day ofA ril, A; D. 1903.

ANIEL MOFARLAN MOORE.

Witnesses:

J. GALLWITZ, E. L. LAWLER.

over or through the space, to 65 

